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Three workshops last week – London, Manchester and Dublin.
An opportunity to meet with my clients and listen.
My quarterly immersion in their ups and downs and, thus, a chance to identify any common trends.
I mentioned last week the trend of hiring managers and TCOs who have a background in high-street retail management (because that sector is shedding jobs).
Equally, I heard more positive feedback on hiring young dentists as salaried apprentices.
What other trends were in evidence?
Team – the ongoing challenges of simply hiring good people – clinical or otherwise;
Training – getting teams to follow through on the marketing training that we delivered earlier in the year and to implement and maintain the relentless daily activity of internal marketing;
Technology – embracing the innovation that is taking place in digital dentistry and using that to enhance the treatment planning experience;
Treatment plan presentation – creating Powerpoint presentations to simplify the practice management software plan and the small print;
Testimonials – patient video testimonials professionally created as marketing collateral;
Transactions – making sure that protocols exist for every step of the patient experience – no longer relying on people doing their best in the absence of a system.
There was more than one moment during the week when we heard:
I would never have believed, when I came into dentistry, that there would end up being so much to do!
It’s a brave person who runs their own business.
One of my favourite moments of the week was an opportunity to provide a simple answer to an apparently complex question:
Q: “Chris, how do we attract more patients?”
A: “Become more attractive.”